Submerged screen sizer or separator.



PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

J. M. GALLOW.

SUBMERGED SCREEN SIZER 0R SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.13. 1902. nmmwnn JAN. a1, 1905.

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No. 788,246. PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

J. M. GALLOW.

SUBMERGED SCREEN SIZER OR SEPARATOR;

APILIOATION FILED MAR. 1a. 1902. RENEWED JAN. 31, 1905.

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WI (aw I jar/6265017 a; W W 90% PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

J. M. CALLOW. SUBMERGED SCREEN SIZER 0R SEPARATOR.

APPLIOATIQN FILED MAR. 13, 1902. RENEWED JAN. 31, 1905.

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NTTED STATES Patented April 25, 1905.

JOHN M. CALLOWV, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

SUBMERGED SCREEN SIZER OR SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,246, dated April25, 1905,

Application filed March 13, 1902. Renewed January 31, 1905- Serial No.2%,465.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. CALLow, residence and post-office addressDooly Block, Salt Lake City, Utah, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Submerged Screen Sizers or Separators, of which thefollowingis a specification accompanied by drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in screening-machines, and moreparticularly to that class of screeningmachines provided with a fiatperforated sheet or screen-cloth lying in a horizontal or inclinedposition, on which the ore or other material to be screened is placed.In such machines by means of suitable shaking mechanism the pieces smallenough to pass through the holes are shaken through and the oversizeportions are retained and by the action of the machine are continuouslydischarged, thus effecting a separation of the fines from the coarse.

My invention has special reference to the screening of wet material,although I am not to be understood as limiting my invention in thisparticular, for it may be utilized with any kind of material to which itis applicable.

The difficulties which have heretofore been met with in screening Wetmaterial of any kind on horizontal or inclined screens consist in thefact that as soon as the pulp strikes the screen the water passesthrough, leaving the ore in such a plastic condition that perfect workis impossible even when assisted by an excessive vibration of the screenor the addition of large volumes of Water to keep the pulp in a dilutestate.

My invention has for its objects to avoid the disadvantages attendantupon the use of screening apparatus of the character referred to and toimprove such apparatus and render it much more efficient in operation.

To these ends my invention consists primarily in apparatus and deviceshaving the general mode of operation hereinafter fully deparatus. Fig. 3is a transverse sectional view on the line a B of Fig. 1. Fig. i is atransverse sectional view on the line 0 D of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sideelevation, partly in section, of a modified form of my apparatus. Fig. 6is a plan view of the frame, and Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional viewon the line of of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4:, as stated,apparatus according to one form of my invention is illustrated, in whicha series of tanks a is provided, in this instance three being shown.although any suitable number may be used. The tanks a are convenientlyarranged one above the other on suitable framing I), and each isprovided with a screen 0 of suitable character, while means are providedfor the discharge of the fines from one tank to the screen of the onenext below, and so on. The oversize portions of the material screened ispreferably collected from each tank separately by any suitable means.

According to my invention the screen-surface in each tank is always keptsubmerged in a quiescent water-bath, so that the separation of the finesfrom the coarse shall take place, as it were, in a water-bath.

To prevent the ore from rushing over the end before it has had time toscreen properly, I provide each tank with an inclined and pivoted lip(Z, having any suitable means in connection therewith for altering itsangle of inclination, as a cam e. The top edge of the lip (Z ispreferably somewhat above the waterlevel; but instead I may incline thewhole length of the screen slightly.

In screening ores it is very desirable that the oversize ore shall passfrom the screen substantially free from muddy water and slime, and it isto accomplish this result that lmake the discharge endof the screenhigher than the water-level in the tank, it being understood that theinclined lip d when employed is to be considered a part of the screenfor this purpose. The oversize ore after leaving the screen does notagain come into contact with the muddy water of the tank containing thescreen from which it is discharged or with that of any other tank, andconsequently it is practically free from slime and in much bettercondition for subsequent treatment, such as crushing, &c.

The screen a may be supported in the tanks for horizontal movement andmay be arranged horizontally or else they may be inclinedas, forinstance, upwardlyfrom the receiving end to the discharge end, as shownin Fig. 5; but as shown in Fig. 1 in this instance to illustrate myinvention they are arranged substantially horizontally.

The screens are adapted to be shaken by a reciprocating motion suitablefor my purpose; but I prefer a longitudinal differential reciprocatingmotion in ahorizontaldirection, which progressively propels the materialforward regardless of the inclination of the screen, and I haveillustrated a well-known form of apparatus in connection with myinvention for imparting such a progressive feeding motion to the tanks.

As a convenient construction the tanks may be provided with bearings f,adapted to slides or tracks 9 on the framing Z), although I am not to beunderstood as limiting myself to a construction in which the tanks andscreens both have the desired motion imparted to them. Suitable pivotedand reciprocating curved pushers it, connected to be reciprocated fromcrank-shafts 11, are provided with each tank, the crank-shafts beingactuated, as shown, from a main driving-wheel 7', through suitableconnections, as pulleys and belting. The tanks are moved forward by thepushers h and returned, the power for returning the tanks being shown assprings. This form of progressive feeding motion being well known in theart, it will not be further described, it being understood that anysuitable mechanism for imparting such motion may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of my in- I vention.

Means are provided for maintaining a substantially constant level of theWater-bath in which the screening is done, and while this may beaccomplished in various ways in my apparatus Iregulate the dischargefrom orifice k, connecting with the tank to correspond with the inflowthrough the feed-hopper Z to the tank. A perfect regulation of thewaterlevel is further maintained by means of openings-m in the sides ofthe tanks, above which the level of water cannot rise. The overflowthrough the openings m passes off by means of the overflow-launders a.

Suitable hoppers 0 and connecting-piping p are arranged between thetanks in order that the outlet of one may connect with the inlet of thenext, while the oversize is discharged through hoppers g and piping 'rto be operated upon through other machinery.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 a modified form of ap paratus is illustrated, inwhich a plurality of tanks 8 are shown, all connected to be movedtogether by means of the same type of apparatus hereinbefore describedfor imparting a progressive feeding motion to the tanks. The tanks arearranged at different heights, and, as before, the lines from theuppermost tank are discharged into the one next below, and so on, bymeans of discharge-pipes 6, having adjustable gates u and discharginginto hoppers o. Each tank is provided with bearings 10, adapted toslides {a on the framing of the machine. As before, the level of thewater-bath is regulated by means of overflow-openings in, leading tooverflow-launders a, while the oversize is led off throughdischarge-orifices y, communicating with the discharge from the inclinedand adjustable lip (Z,

in this instance the means for adjusting the lip being shown as a wedge.2.

In both forms of my invention suitable means may be provided forsupplying water to the water-bath in cases when the water coming in withthe pulp to be screened is insufficient or in cases where the ore is ofsuch extremely slimy nature that additional clear water is necessary forthe complete washing and cleansing of the oversized portions, andasupply-pipe 1 is provided for leading water to the spray-pipes 2 forthe tanks, while branch pipes 3 supply the flush-water. Suitable valves4 and 5 are provided to regulate the flow of water in said pipes.

It will be observed that the spray-pipes 2 are arranged above the screennear the disgressive feeding motion to the tanks is set in operation.The screen, as stated, is constantly submerged,and the material reposingthereon is propelled forward at each return stroke. In either case theresult is the same that is, the material on the screen is propelledforward. While I have shown the screens arranged both horizontal and atan incline, it is evident that although inclined upwardly from thereceiving end to the discharge end the material will still be propelledforwardly up the inclined screen. The oversize portions are thendischarged over the inclined lip, while the particles fine enough passthrough the screen.

I have discovered that by submerging the screen area any lot ofparticles placed thereon are thereby put into what I will term afree-settling condition, for by reason of being immersed they are in acondition to arrange themselves without friction due to each other, andtherefore find a means of exit through the screen-openings in theeasiest possible manner. The action which causes the particles to assumea free-settling condition more readily admits of their falling throughthe screen-openings.

According to my invention another action takes place, which may beexplained as follows: It has been found that if a submerged screen issimply moved up and down in the water or any such receptacle containingore particles is so movedinother Words, if a jigging or pumping motionbe given to it-the coarse particles Will go to the bottom and the finewill come to the top, or if a hollow cylinder, as a round screen,containing ore particles is revolved it Will be found that the coarsestpieces are next the meshes of the screen and the finest farthest fromit-a condition in both cases which is diametrically opposed toefficiency; butIhave discovered if a screen is shaken horizontally thereverse is the case-the finest pieces will be found at the lowest strataand the others graduated into layers above until the flattest andcoarsest are on the top layer of all. Therefore screening apparatusconstructed and operated according to my invention is immeasurablyincreased in efficiency and capacity per square feet of screen area.

It will be observed that in my apparatus I remove the rejections bypropelling them forward or forward and upward when the screen isinclined to an inclined lip, and this is accomplished by means of theparticular progressive feeding motion imparted to the screen.

Obviously some features of my invention may be used Without otherfeatures and may be embodied in Widely-varying forms. For

this reason, without enumerating equivalents, I claim the following:

1. In a submerged screen sizing apparatus, the combination of a tank anda screen supported therein, means for imparting a differential,reciprocating, shaking motion to the screen in a horizontal direction,means for delivering the material to be screened to one end of thescreen, means for delivering Water onto the ore above the screen, meansfor maintaining the Water at a substantially uniform level in the tankand below the delivery end of the screen, and a receptacle into Whichthe oversize ore is discharged from the delivery end of the screen,substantially as set forth.

* 2. In a submerged screen sizing apparatus, the combination of a tankand a screen supported therein, means for imparting a differential,reciprocating, shaking motion to the screen in a horizontal direction,means for delivering the material to be screened to one end of thescreen, means for delivering Water onto the ore above the screen, meansfor maintaining the Water at a substantially uniform level in the tank,and an inclined lip at the discharge end of the screen above the levelof the Water in the tank and over which the oversize ore passes from thescreen, substantially as set forth.

3. In a submerged screen sizing apparatus, the combination of a tank anda screen supported therein, means for imparting a difl'erential,reciprocating, shaking motion to the screen in a horizontal direction,means for delivering the material to be screened to one end of thescreen, means for delivering water onto the ore above the screen, meansfor maintaining the water at a substantially uniform level in the tank,an inclined lip at the discharge end of the screen above the level ofthe Water in the tank and over which the oversize ore passes from thescreen, and means for delivering Water on the oversize ore as it isdischarged from the screen, substantially as set forth.

Signed this 6th day of March, 1902, at Salt Lake City, Utah.

JOHN M. CALLOVV.

Witnesses:

MARGARET B. (JoNNnLL, Gr. 0; LETCHER.

